The present invention relates to certain bis-formyl-N-aryl-N'-urea compounds which are useful as pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides against grasses and broadleaf weed species.
Herbicides are widely used by farmers, commercial agricultural companies, and other industries in order to increase crop yields for such staple crops as corn, soybeans, rice, and the like, and to eliminate weed growth along highways, railroad rights-of-way, and other areas. Herbicides are effective in killing or controlling unwanted weeds which compete for soil nutrients with the crop plants, and by reason of the fact that they kill weeds, are responsible for improving the aesthetic appearance of highway and railroad rights-of-way.
There are a number of different types of herbicides presently sold commercially, and these fall into two general categories. The categories are pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides. The pre-emergence herbicides are normally incorporated into or applied to the soil prior to the emergence of the weed plants from the soil, and the post-emergence herbicides are normally applied to planted surfaces after emergence of the weeds or other unwanted plants from the soil.
Some herbicides are effective both as pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides. The bis-formyl-N-aryl-N'-alkyl ureas of this invention fall into this category.